Rail-joint.



J. M. LANGFORD.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 1914.

1,145,321. Patented July 6; 1915.

lwmwboz S A s PATENT .QFFIG "Joni: M. LANGFORD, or LEESVILLE, so 'rHoAnoLINA.

To all whom it'ma'j concern Be it known thatI, JOHN LANGFORD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Leesville, in the county of Lexington and State of South Carolina, have invented new I anduseful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of

' which the following is'fa" specification.

This invention relatesto improvements in means for connecting and supporting the meeting ends of twdrailway rails.

To this end the invention has primarily in view a novel and'practical construction of angle bars whichfinclude depending side members in theformflofa saddle or yoke, a

member beingwedged between the yokes and the meeting ends 'of -t he rails so that the joint is effectively reinforced 'and danger of sinking of the rail endsgreatly reduced if not entirely overcome.

It isalso my purpose to provide simple but novel means for'retaining: the wedge member against longitudinal movement with relation to thesaddles or yokes, to prevent the outward spreading of the said saddles.

or yckes and also. to adjust the height of'the said member so that the same will firmly engage with the rails, locking keys being provided for the adjusting means which contact with the longitudinal edges of the rails so that the block or wedge member is held both at its top and bottom against movement.

With these and other objects in view, which will more readily appear. as the nature of the invention is better understood,

illustrative embodiment of the same is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of two rails connected in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view ofthe same, Fig. 3 isa vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a per.-

I V spective view of the truss or wedge block,

Specification of Letters Patent.

RAIL-JOINT. I}

' looking toward the bottom thereof, and I 5 s a perspe ctive view of one of the angle bars. 1

A I Patented. July 6 1915'. L Application filedN'o'vember 6,1914. S'eri'alNo. 870,671.

Referring now to the a'ccompjanying draw ing, in which similar reference characters: represent. similar parts throughout, indicate two. rails of the ordinary construe: tion and which have their endsmeetingg I The webs of the rails are provided with usual bolts and nuts are provided for securing the anfgle bars tothe rails.) The horiZontalplate of each of the angle bars is integrally formed with a depending the usual bolt openings which registerrwith saddle'or yoke 2, the side arms of which being angular, or extending upwardly atopposite angles from the connecting member 3.

-Th"e-saddles or yokes are of anequal'thicknes s throughout and are preferablyrectangular in cross section, while the lower edges of the said yokes are centrally'form'ed' with inwardly extending lugs 4.

Thenumeral 5 designates a wedge or brace block for the trusses provided by the saddles or yokes.

a substantially rectangular depression :or pocket 6, while the said sides beyond the outer walls of the pocket are slotted longitudinally to provide lips 7. The lips 7 are adapted to receive the upper edges of the; connecting member 3 of the saddles or yokes,

while the depression or pocket receives the lugs 4 provided centrally upon the lower edges of the said connecting members of the saddles or yokes. It should here be stated that the lower portion of the wedge or brace block 5 is of a width equaling the length of the connecting members 3 between the side arms of the saddles or yokes, and by an ar-' This block upon its under face, and at a suitable distance from its opposite sides is provided or formed with opposite end, and each of the said members is provided with a plurality of perforations, two of such perforations in each of the blocks or Wedge members 8 alining when the members move longitudinally one over the other between the upper face of the block 5 and the underfaces of the base flanges of the rails at the meeting ends thereof, and

these registering or alining openings are arranged in a line with the outer longitudinal edges of the base flanges of the rails as well as with the longitudinal edges of the horizontal members of the angle bars between the side arms of the saddles or yokes. Securing elements, preferably in the nature of cotter pins, indicated by the numerals 9, are passed through the said openings, the same contacting with the longitudinal edges of the base flanges of the rail and not only serve to adjust the block and lock the same upon the saddles or yokes but also serve as means for assisting in preventing the twisting or lateral movement of the rails at the meeting ends thereof. 1

Other embodiments will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is believed that the device as described will exemplify the uses and advantages of the improvement claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A rail joint including angle bars, connected with the rails, yokes depending from x and the meeting ends of the rails.

2. A rail joint including angle bars which are connected to the rails, yokes depending from the angle bars, a block arranged between the yokes and removably connected therewith, wedge plates between the top of the block and the meeting ends of the rail, connecting members for the wedge plates, and said connecting members adapted to contact with the angle bars between the side arms of the yokes and with the longitudinal edges of the rails at the meeting ends thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses/ S. B. HAnLEY, P. J. WISSINGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

